‘You Chose to Work Hard’

Trevor Farr, of Bristol, Vt., was the Community College of Vermont Class of 2018's student speaker during the school's commencement exercises on Saturday, June 2, 2018, at Norwich University in Northfield, Vt. (Community College of Vermont — Josh Larkin)

More than 500 students graduated from the Community College of Vermont on Saturday, June 2, 2018. The College’s 51st commencement was held at Norwich University in Northfield, Vt. (Community College of Vermont — Josh Larkin)

Northfield, Vt. — More than 500 students from across Vermont received associates degrees on Saturday as Community College of Vermont held its commencement ceremony at Shapiro Field House at Norwich University.

The student speaker, Trevor Farr of CCV’s Middlebury program, said all of the class had faced challenges.

“There are graduates here today with learning disabilities, there are wives and moms raising kids, husbands and fathers attending college; more than likely there are graduates here today who are in their 60s and 70s,” Farr said, according to a CCV news release. “Not one person is more remarkable than the other— (all) of you deserve to be where you are today.”

The oldest graduate was 73, the youngest 17. Graduates included students from each of Vermont’s 14 counties, along with 11 other states and 15 other countries.

The keynote speaker, The Alchemist Brewery co-founder and CEO Jen Kimmich, said her mother had been an early CCV graduate in the early 1970s.

“Our journeys are not easy,” she said. “Every one of us here today had to work hard and start new chapters to get here. But, like my mother when she enrolled in her first class, and just like my husband, John, and I when we started our small business 16 years ago, each and every one of you made the decision to bet on yourselves. And, although your paths are all different, you chose to work hard, to keep working and to open every door.”

Gov. Phil Scott, R-Vt., also spoke at the ceremony, saying, in part, “All Vermonters deserve a path to meaningful employment, and I also hope that each and every one of you knows that Vermont needs you now more than ever.”

Vermont State Colleges System Board of Trustees Chair Martha O’Connor received the 2018 Community Service Award for her commitment to promoting education throughout Vermont. CCV serves more than 7,000 students each semester and has 12 locations and online programs for students.